As we stood in the Plaça Catalunya this year, grapes in hand and waiting for churchbells to chime, it struck me that once again, I was celebrating New Year’s Eve upon an unknown shore. Ten seconds to midnight, the crowd started counting down, ten, nine, eight. And then, at midnight– Nothing. The fireworks were aContinue reading “Facing 2023”
Tag Archives: books
That Expat Girl’s Guide to Writing a Novel | Part 2: The First Draft (1)
Sometimes writing a first draft is more like getting lost in a city, and sometimes it’s more like planning the perfect vacation. Either way, things rarely go completely according to plan….
May ’22 – On New Adventures
Believe me, I am still alive… but boy, has it been a while. And it’s been a lot as well, but I suppose that’s the nature of life, to barrel on heedlessly while we cling on for dear life. That said, I’m going to try to keep this blog updated more regularly, but part ofContinue reading “May ’22 – On New Adventures”
Rivers of London Award Shortlist Interview: Dan Buchanan
The skeleton of my story … serves as a useful guide, not only in terms of inspiring the questions my world-building needs to answer, but also as a kind of framework on which I can bounce the story around, and chop and change as needed. Dan Buchanan on knowing the story you’re telling Shortly afterContinue reading “Rivers of London Award Shortlist Interview: Dan Buchanan”
Rivers of London Award Shortlist Interview: Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson
This is a story we are hesitant to tell… Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson – The Principle of Moments Shortly after Gollancz’s Rivers of London Award, I got in touch with the winners and other shortlistees to find out more about them and thier projects. In this post, Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson talks to me about her winning novel, TheContinue reading “Rivers of London Award Shortlist Interview: Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson”
Rivers of London Award Shortlist Interview: Jaya Martin
Rivers of London award shortlistee, Jaya Martin, talks to me about her novel Blood of the Wolf and her influences as a writer.
Rivers of London Award Shortlist Interview: Victor Ogana
It all started with a broken roof and a bangle made of cowries. Victor Ogana – Seeds of Heaven Check out the other interviews here. Shortly after Gollancz’s Rivers of London Award, I got in touch with the winners and other shortlistees to find out more about them and thier projects. In this post, VictorContinue reading “Rivers of London Award Shortlist Interview: Victor Ogana”
Boyars, Orphans, and Other Creatures of the Night: Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s The Deathless Girls
If you’d told me several months ago that within the next few weeks, I’d be completely consumed by a teenage vampire novel, I would’ve laughed. But The Deathless Girls is so much more…
A Spark in the Darkness: Liz Hyder’s Bearmouth
Read my original post on The Book Slut here. “You sed it taykes one person to start a revolushun, but that ent true is it? Taykes more than one. One to start it and uvvers to believe it can happen.” Bearmouth, by Liz Hyder The genderless protagonist of Liz Hyder’s Bearmouth goes by the nameContinue reading “A Spark in the Darkness: Liz Hyder’s Bearmouth”
Altered Memories and Other Worlds: My Top Five Reads of 2019
Read my original post on The Book Slut here. Let’s be honest, 2019 went way too quickly, and regretfully, I didn’t manage to get as far through my TBR list as I’d hoped. Whereas in 2018, I read a ton of YA fantasy, 2019 saw me branching out more, turning back towards more literary newContinue reading “Altered Memories and Other Worlds: My Top Five Reads of 2019”
The Venture 